Tangled Spirits
by xT-Zealot
Summary: Something has happened to them since the events at the Apollo Sanctum.  Matthew isn't sure as to what, exactly, it is that has come between him and Sveta but fears that he may end up losing her forever if he doesn't figure it out.  MatthewxSveta
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** And yet again here I am! Seems that I'm getting back into the writing business for serious now. A good thing? Well, you can decide on that with this latest piece. Unlike my previous two fics where it was either a oneshot or a retelling of previous adventures that occurred in the game, this is going to be completely original and multi-chapter. And, for those of you who like the pairing, it's going to be all about Matthew and Sveta!

I do have a general idea of where I'm going with this story but, so far, it is pretty general. I actually intended to get a lot more down for this chapter but I ended up cutting a few things, pasting other things, and taped it all together to form this prologue to hopefully get people interested with something short and sweet. So it's time to get interested! As always, Golden Sun, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, and any and all property related to them belong to Camelot and Camelot only.

Xxxxxx

The third climb was nearly impossible.

Spots already playing in front of his eyes, the ladder with its rungs made out of what seemed to be pure light caused him to squint as he forced himself to keep going. The rest of him didn't like this. Having fallen twice, his body was battered and, other than the pain of the falls, his flesh felt as if it had one monster sunburn all over from the exposure. Passing each rung was torturous but he forced himself to continue on anyway.

He just needed to activate it. All that was required of him was to turn it on and the nightmare that they caused would all be over. Reaching the last rung, he forced out whatever strength he had left to pull himself up over the edge while bracing himself for what was to come.

It wasn't enough. Having felt the burn at his arm transform into an inferno when he reached the top, his face and torso felt it full force when he pushed himself up. No amount of squinting could protect him from the amount of light that shined into his eyes and he closed them while crying out in pain. What had to be the purest of light scalded him and, unable to take it, he lost his grip.

It was a long way down and upon impacting the ground another cry tore itself out from his throat. Blinking rapidly, he tried to stare back up at the ladder while trying to push himself up for a fourth climb.

He couldn't do it a third time. His arms gave out before he could raise his body an inch from the ground. Even worse, he couldn't see! The intense, white light having been the last thing he saw before falling, it was now the only thing he saw as his eyeballs felt as scorched as the rest of him. How pitifully he must look now as he squirmed upon the ground, trying to get his body to move while his eyes squeezed shut before opening wide, trying to regain a sight that was now lost to him.

That was enough.

"I…I can do it…"

He felt a soft touch at his arm, raising it from the floor. Turning his head, he once again blinked and squinted hard, trying to see. Despite the light that had scarred his vision, he could barely make out his hand that was now hugged tight against someone's chest.

"Please help me."

The soft, sad words pierced through the veil of torment. As he stared, he could see that the hands that so desperately clung to his were, while feminine, possessed nails that were longer and sharper than any human's could possibly be. Drifting his gaze upwards, Matthew could see the green eyes that looked at him pleadingly, framed by violet hair that had become unkempt between all that has happened.

He felt her squeeze his hand within hers when he slowly, weakly, nodded his head.

His body suddenly felt numb, the searing pain that had been inflicted upon his body vanishing. What replaced it were thoughts and emotions that poured into his mind. When all he had felt was weariness, he now felt a calm that overrode it, allowing his thoughts to focus and his body to strengthen. When all he had thought about was of defeat he now had a cool, firm resolve of what he had to do.

These thoughts and feelings were not fully his own, especially the ones that he felt underlying his newfound. Sorrow and despair for a brother that he may have unwittingly slain, an overwhelming sense of responsibility for a people that he had to not only save…but to make sure that his brother's mistakes would be rectified.

Even if it meant his death.

The body that he now found himself in was not his own. The eyes that he looked through were sharper; able to pick up visual details that had been hidden from him before. The same was for his sense of smell. Not only did he detect the scent of the blood that had tainted the area, he could detect the scents of his friends, his enemies, and his own sibling. He flexed his fingers that were tipped with such long, sharp nails, feeling the inherent physical power that came with being a beastman.

This was not his body. Through these new eyes he could see that his was lying directly in front of him, having become completely limp upon the ground.

His gaze lingered on his body – a body that now looked like a corpse – before that firm resolve reminded him of what was needed to be done. He almost missed an unknown emotion that caused a flutter in his chest but before he could understand what it was the job came back to his mind. Steeling himself, he turned to the ladder that he had fallen from thrice now and then started to climb. Having nearly killed himself during his last climb, he was amazed at the ease of which he now climbed each rung. The brilliance of the rungs stung his eyes even further due to his enhanced sight but he kept his focus on ascending them and the goal that awaited him up top.

_I'm sorry for making you come with me._

The thought was not his own and yet, in a way, it was. It reverberated in his mind as if he had thought it himself but he knew that it was not his but rather hers.

_At least we can die knowing that our lives might buy the lives of others – a small price to pay._

He nodded though he was unsure if he actually physically made the gesture or if he imagined himself doing it. Either way, she detected the meaning behind it and he was nearly overwhelmed by the amount of trust, sorrow, regret, and that strange emotion that he now felt. If only it had not come to this…perhaps they could've…

…_What?_

It didn't matter; what regrets and wishes they may have were trivial in the face of duty.

The light that had scalded him in a raging inferno of pain might as well be a small flame upon reaching the top yet again. This was no doubt in thanks to the gear that he wore this time; the pieces of which they had scoured all around the world for, for this moment. Nonetheless he felt it. As good as the gear had been in protecting them during their ascent of the Sanctum, the pure light that now washed over them was becoming too much.

Between the light that had already been absorbed by the Umbra Gear and what they were currently exposed to, they were going to die upon firing the weapon.

Again he felt her sorrowful emotions of what was to come and how bringing him here was tearing her apart. He believed her for the heart that was breaking inside of her was, for these final moments, his as well. And again he gave her his assurance that he wanted to be here; that he was _meant_ to be here with her. To serve as a guardian of the world, even if it meant the cost of his own life, was what he had been trained for all his life. They both believed that they belonged here.

_All right, let's go._

They breathed. Staring at the controls that were now only a few, agonizing feet away from them, they took what could possibly be their final breath into their lungs and slowly let it out. It was time. Stepping forward, they raised a hand, beginning the activation-

The roar shocked the both of them. Their ears rising at the sound, they looked up just in time to see the giant silhouette of their brother that fell from above and landed in front of them, blocking their path from the controls. The giant, black, lupine head stared down at them and, with another roar, he swung one of his huge arms and smashed it into them.

He felt the pain and the sensation of being flung back before he found himself back in his own body, as if his soul had been torn from her and driven back into his own mortal shell. For some reason he was now able to see and the first thing he saw was her, falling just as he had after getting struck by her brother.

There was no pain in his body when he moved, whether it had miraculously been healed or if his fear and concern for her blocked it out he didn't know. Either way, it allowed him to leap to his feet in time, his arms held high to catch her. She fell into them, her fall coming to a gentle halt as he held one arm at her back and the other at her knees in a cradle that made sure that no harm would come to her. Her eyes met his briefly before they looked up.

Following her gaze, he saw the giant form of her brother who looked down on them. With a low growl, the King of Belinsk turned to the controls of the Apollo Lens, raising a hand as he activated it.

"Volechek!" The cry came from in his arms, torn from her throat as she stared with wide, blurry eyes.

"Sveta…" came the voice of her brother.

The light of the Sanctum gathered at the end of the giant cannon as the weapon activated. As had been foretold, the Apollo Lens took this light, absorbing, concentrating, and magnifying it to unspeakable levels. As was hoped, this light would be enough to stop the Grave Eclipse.

But was it aimed at the right target?

"…Farewell…"

The weapon fired, consuming everything in sight in a brilliant, blinding explosion of pure white.

Xxxxxx

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Matthew answered as he limped forward.

Tyrell nodded slowly but he kept a tight hold over his friend's arm that was currently thrown across his shoulders. "You look terrible you know that? Usually I would make some joke about you being left out in the sun for too long but…"

"That would pretty much be exactly what happened." Grinning, Matthew couldn't help but chuckle only to immediately regret it. Walking wasn't the only thing that he was having a problem with as his body had been banged up pretty consistently during their time in the Apollo Sanctum. Other than his insane climbs to the controls, the fight between Blados, Chalis, the Chaos Hound, and the later Chaos Chimera had taken a toll on just about everywhere with him.

"What's wrong?" Apparently having noticed him wince when he chuckled, Karis stepped to Matthew's side. "Tyrell, let's stop for a second."

"It's nothing," Matthew insisted beneath the searching look of his childhood friends. Nonetheless, Tyrell stopped, refusing to let him go any further.

"I'll call Rief over," Karis assured them, quickly turning to look for their designated healer. "Rief! We need you to have another look at Matthew!"

Despite the annoyance he felt at being looked after like a child, Matthew had to admit that he didn't mind taking a break as Tyrell eased him down. Taking a seat on the grass, the Venus Adept gave a nod to his friend and, taking slow, deep breaths, he tilted his head back to look at the sky.

How nice it was to see the sun again. Upon exiting the Apollo Sanctum, there was a collective feeling of jubilation and relief when there were no shadows to greet them; especially none of the monsters which had dwelt within them. Instead of the black skies and the impenetrable fog, there were now clear blue skies, even clearer air, and a sun that casted its glow all throughout the lands.

It had been weeks since the disastrous events at Belinsk. Through faults that were partly their own, the Eclipse Tower had been unearthed from the ruins beneath the city due to the activation of the Alchemy Dynamo and, with it, a seemingly never-ending period of darkness enveloped all of Weyard with its citizens falling prey to an army of monsters that had been unleashed. To fix what they had inadvertently caused, they had scoured all of Weyard for parts of the Umbra Gear and keys in the form of colored orbs that would allow them to enter the Apollo Sanctum and fire the Apollo Lens, the only counter to the Grave Eclipse.

And they had done it. The world had been on the verge of being lost to the Eclipse and yet they, the children of the Warriors of Vale, had followed in the footsteps of their parents to take up both sword and djinn to save the world.

_But at what cost?_

"What's wrong?" Rushing over and immediately dropping to Matthew's side, the blue-haired Mercury Adept known as Rief focused his eyes on his de factor leader. "Are your burns acting up?"

Though he had been reduced to lying blind in the Sanctum, the hidden strength that had allowed Matthew to awaken and catch Sveta continued to persist when they marched out of the Sanctum. Well, marching in a loose term as Matthew had allowed Tyrell to lend him a shoulder to help him move. Not that Matthew had any choice in the matter as none of his friends were allowing him to walk unaided.

Still, just because he could walk didn't mean that he was a hundred percent fine. A brief look at his own form had – other than the cuts and bruises – allowed him to see how absolutely _red_ he was. Lacking the protection of the Umbra Gear, Matthew had paid horribly upon being exposed to the light of the Sanctum in the form of the most unpleasant sunburn that he had ever experienced. Though some healing psynergy would've been welcomed, it was not only Matthew but everyone else that had suffered during their final battles; they were all spent whether it came to psynergy or their stamina.

Matthew and Sveta had it the worst due to their exposures. With the thought of her coming to mind, Matthew turned his head to where he had last seen Sveta. He found her immediately, hunched over by a tree with Amiti at her side. Mercury Adepts tending to make the best of healers, Amiti had been assigned to watch over Sveta while Rief placed his attention more towards Matthew who was the most injured of them all.

Matthew couldn't see her face, her back currently turned to him, but he could see how her head was lowered and that Amiti, talking in low, hushed tones with her, placed a hand at her back and rubbed it gently. Though it may be Matthew that was suffering the most when it came to physical damage, it was Sveta that had to be suffering the most mentally and emotionally.

"Matthew? Can you hear me?"

Pulled from his thoughts, Matthew looked to Rief who was looking at him with an increasing amount of concerned. Shaking his head, Matthew replied. "Yes Rief I can hear you; was just lost in thought."

"Okay, then tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing."

Rief gave him an exasperated look. "I know that it's certainly not 'nothing' otherwise you wouldn't be limping everywhere."

"I can walk fine!" Matthew insisted and jerked his head towards Tyrell and Karis. "They're the ones forcing me to do it!"

Sighing, Rief looked to Karis. "What did you see?"

"His ribs might be bothering him. I remember him getting hit pretty hard by the Chimera before we had finished it off with our last djinn summons so that could've done it. I'm sure those falls hadn't done any better for them."

"Indeed they probably didn't."

"Look, it's nothing, I'm good to go-," Matthew started before Tyrell, taking the initiative, gave him a light punch to his afflicted ribs. Having not been prepared in the least, the Venus Adept couldn't stop the hiss of pain.

"That hurt?" Tyrell asked with grin.

"Why yes, punching me does in fact hurt."

"I didn't hit you that hard." Waving off any further complaints, Tyrell looked to Rief. "So what do you think? Can you muster any psynergy?"

Rief looked unsure but, nonetheless, held up his hands towards Matthew. "I might be able to as I think enough time has passed to recover for at least this." A blue aura came to life around his hands. "Stay still Matthew."

Seeing as he had no choice, Matthew allowed the examination to go on. While the Mercury Adept tended to his injuries, he couldn't help but look back towards Sveta yet again to find her and Amiti still speaking to one another. Despite his concerns, she seemed fine but, again, he was worried about how she felt. As much of a heroic action as it was, there was no changing the fact that Sveta lost a brother today.

Upon seeing that Sveta was about to give her life to activate the Apollo Lens, the twisted, dark monster that was Volechek had snapped out of the blood haze that blinded him for a few precious moments. Those moments were enough for the king of Belinsk to leap up, knock his sister to the side, and activate the Apollo Lens himself to correct his own mistake at the cost of his own life.

Out of everyone, Matthew was the most concerned about Sveta. If there was anyone that had suffered the most on this quest, it was definitely her. Having her people, her entire homeland, doomed with the start of the Grave Eclipse, thinking her brother having perished as well only to have him return so that she may fight him and nearly kill him, and then to watch as he sacrificed himself for her. Despite the calm persona that Sveta liked to constantly display to the group, Matthew was worried that she was ready to break.

"Hm…something's wrong," Rief spoke suddenly, his brows knitting in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Karis asked.

"I see what's wrong with his ribs and I'm trying to heal them but…they don't seem to responding to my Ply."

"What?"

Matthew's eyes suddenly widened. He knew something was wrong when Amiti suddenly jerked forward, now clasping both of Sveta's shoulders in his hands. The Jupiter Adept's legs had visibly started to wobble and, despite the support, Matthew watched in fear as Sveta collapsed.

"Sveta!"

The cry came from both Amiti and Matthew who shot up to his feet, surprising Tyrell and Karis and nearly sending Rief tumbling to the ground. Already taking two steps forward, Matthew tried to rush to Sveta's side. But it was on his third step that his sight was lost to him.

_What…?_

The white light that had left him blinded returned, causing him to gasp. Stumbling, Matthew sought to steady himself but found his strength rapidly vanishing. He fell, his arms immediately reaching out to support him and the Venus Adept briefly managed to support himself on his hands and knees before his strength gave out completely. Arms and legs giving out on him, Matthew felt himself dropping briefly before slamming into the ground.

The white light that blinded his vision started to turn black and before he lost consciousness completely he heard his friends call out his name in horror.

Xxxxxx

**Author's Note:** I know retelling events from the Golden Sun games are becoming a bit of a habit with me and my work but, hopefully, this will be the last time I do so. While I know how readers would love to see how a favorite scene of their favorite game is written, I certainly do not want to overdo it and reduce it to nothing more than page filler which I find lazy and I definitely don't want to give off the appearance that I'm a lazy writer.

Writing the scene about the Apollo Lens, however, was something I felt like I needed to get written up and put in this fic because, as the summary goes, something has happened to Matthew and Sveta since the events at the Apollo Lens and thus that's a bit of an important event to make sure to touch on. And what, exactly, has happened? Well that's for me to think up and write down and for you people to find out! Will see you in the next chapter! As always, if you enjoyed what you like, type up a review as you'd be surprised how they can motivate a writer to keep up the good work .


	2. Tangled Memories

**Author's Note:** Never really tried responding to the reviewers before but I think I'm gonna give it a go! If you guys are gonna stick around for this story I might as well get to know you all!

**Cstan:** Haha, you wait until you start reading this chapter; I think I may have gone a little overboard on the crazy .

**Jollygreendragon: **Overusing words is one of my weaknesses. I'm usually good at not doing so but sometimes I just end up rushing through portions to get a chapter out that I fall into the trap. I should probably keep an online thesaurus out to help me out but thank you for the criticism and advice!

**IGAF-kun: **Thank you! Hopefully the work continues to be good for the rest of this thing.

**ForteEXEMaster: **I wasn't planning on making the first chapter so short and leaving it with such a hook but, as is quickly starting to happen with this project, I tend to suddenly have new ideas on the fly which I try to mold and make them suit my needs. Apparently for the first chapter I was successful as your compliments seem to point out!

**Anne Iriel Devay: **The Apollo Lens scene, in my opinion, is pretty much the epitome of what Dark Dawn is about which is going for the more emotional, more powerful scenes. It's very inspiring and it offered a connection between two characters (Matthew and Sveta) that Camelot hadn't tried before in the previous Golden Sun games.

Alright, now to get to the official first chapter of the fic! And if any of you were caught off guard with what happened in the prologue…wait until you see what I decided to do here.

Xxxxxx

The memories were his own.

When the darkness claimed him, images and sensations passed through his mind. The markets of Kalay, a sunrise viewed from Goma Plateau, the cold air of Tanglewood. These were places that he had visited and the images that were linked to them came and went as he slept. A simple visit to these areas and more were not the only reason they came to him, however, for they also held a special place in his heart.

Kalay had been where he had been born and where he had spent a good portion of his childhood. Within his mind, his memories that were linked to his home seemed to gather together, forming into a mismatched cluster. And then, one after the other, the memories starting passing through him.

His small hand was held in his mother's firm grip as they made one of their usual trips to the marketplace. Young, only four-years-old during this trip, his eyes were wide with wonder as he constantly craned his neck to try to find anything interesting atop of the dozens of stands that dotted the marketplace. A couple of passerbys, recognizing his mother, would stop to just say hi or chat. Always they would look down at him with smiles and greetings and he would always just step closer to his mother's legs, his face hiding within the folds of her dress.

The memory went and there came another. Enthusiastically, he ran across the room and jumped into the arms of his grandpa who placed his hands at his sides to lift him up and spin him around, both of them laughing. Upon being placed back on the floor, he turned to his grandmother who held out a birthday present for him; a small stuffed animal that looked exactly like one of his father's djinn. Smiling wide, the recently-turned six-year-old took the toy and hugged it tightly to his chest.

Nearing seven-years-old now, he walked into his parents' bedroom to find his father once again carving a piece of wood that he had been hard at work on for weeks now. Spotting him, his father held out the now finished product for him. It was a wooden sword which he immediately took and swung at the air with to the amusement of his father. From the years until his eleventh birthday, he would regularly spar against his father in their small home.

At eleven he felt the tears of his mother mixing with his own as he held her tight and she, him. Expressing their goodbyes, he pulled away from her before taking his pack and heading towards the door where his father awaited him along with his Uncle Garet and best friend.

There were more memories of Kalay; more birthdays, family gatherings, picnics, and so on but they were soon used up and replaced with his memories of their cabin atop of Goma Plateau.

With another clash of their wooden weapons, he disengaged and leaped backwards. Keeping up the attack, Tyrell charged after him, his wooden axe swinging to bring him down. He stopped in mid-retreat, however, and sidestepped around his friend's overhead swing, bringing his sword around which he used to strike his opponent at his exposed back.

It was not the first and it was certainly not the last bruise that either of them would receiving during these training sessions as memories of when that axe had struck his back, arms, and more came to his mind. The injuries didn't stop when they switched to real weapons either.

One memory had him and Tyrell greeting one of their fathers' friends. With him was a green-haired girl who smiled shyly at them. He greeted her with a smile and a shake of her hand while Tyrell did the same except he added a comment. That comment caused the girl's smile to harden, her eyes narrowing, and when he shook her hand he suddenly jumped back with a yelp as if he had been shocked…which was exactly what happened as the girl smirked.

While his father offered encouraging words in his ear, his hands cupped a small sapling. His brows knitting in concentration, he tapped into his psynergy. Directing it from deep within him, he felt his psynergy flow out from his center and towards his hands. In response, a golden aura encompassed them and, with an exertion of his will, he drove his power to extend from his hands and towards the saplings. The effects were instantaneous as the sapling grew, using his psynergy as nourishment as it bloomed into a rose.

It was this rose that he would pluck and give to his mother when she came to visit the next day. Carefully, she took the rose and held it to her nose, taking a whiff of the fragrance. There was a strange mix of pride and wariness at his display of manifesting powers but the smile and hug that she gave him was all warmth and love that any parent would have for their child.

The memories played through his mind faster upon reaching Tanglewood. From pleading with Tyrell who was poised to jump off the roof with the soarwing at his back, the memories fast forward to their trek in the dark woods. His sword clutched in his hands, he swung and slashed at twisted creatures that came from the shadows including a giant, carnivorous plant that seemed to have a never-ending amount of vines as he cut and cut only to have more keep coming.

The memories were becoming scattered as they got closer to the present and were offering only brief flashes now.

The Psynergy Vortex at his back, he barely dodged an arrow shot from the crossbow of an armored soldier that had ambushed them…

Prying at the lid of the box with his weapon, he found the blue-haired student of Kraden tied up within…

With the defeated brother generals of Kaocho at his feet, he looked to the blue-haired prince who offered a hand to show friendship and allegiance. When he shook his hand the prince suddenly turned into a lavender-haired princess whose long ears twitched as she smiled, her green eyes sparkling while he felt the briefest of flutters within his chest.

The Mountain Roc screeching at him, it shot it's head towards him, its beak opening wide, seeming to want to gobble him whole before a golden sword made out of his Venus psynergy struck it.

Falling to the ground on his back, he managed to recover fast enough to roll to the side, the long blade of the agent of the Tuaparang slamming into the ground where he had been a moment ago.

The princess who had offered her hand in friendship now clung to him in despair as she cried, the final howl of her brother echoing through the night while a pirate prince guided the ship away from Belinsk. The ship of which led them to a girl with an imprint of the Third Eye at her forehead who stared up at him in a way that made him feel as if she wasn't looking at him but, rather, _into_ him.

Following a map that Karis had marked with circles for their destinations, he took each piece of Umbra Gear from their resting places and handed them to Sveta who took them and slipped them onto her form, her green eyes now narrowing in determination as she locked the gauntlets and more into place. For his own treasure there was the hilt of a golden sword which his hand enveloped before, with one swift tug, he pulled the legendary Sol Blade from its pedestal. And with both hands now grasping the hilt, he leaped at the Chaos Chimera, raising his weapon high into the air as he sought to attack at what he assumed was a blind spot which he was immediately proven wrong when one of the creature's four arms caught him in the side, an explosion of pain causing the wind to be knocked out of him, his ribs ready to crumble beneath the blow.

A blast of white enveloping all around him, blinding him…

And then he _awoke._

Xxxxxxxx

With a start, Matthew's eyes opened wide as he shot up in bed.

He immediately regretted it. The ribs which he had said were fine now raged at the action, causing spikes of pain to stab across his chest and abdomen. Instinctively his arms curled around them as he bit back a scream, instead reducing himself to pained growls as he dropped back onto the soft bed, curling himself into a ball as all he could do was let the pain run its course.

_What am I doing? I'm an Adept aren't I?_

His mind still trying to clear from the last vestiges of sleep, the thought had been slow to come to him between that and his injured ribs. He was sweating too, his body feeling like it was on fire as he tried to figure out where he was and what was wrong with him. There were too many thoughts and questions for a mind that was only becoming dazed with the bombardment of mental input.

But the suggestion did come to him and Matthew immediately took it to heart, wanting the pain to stop or, at the very least, lessen. His hands still at his ribs, Matthew forced himself to concentrate, to tap into his psynergy and draw upon the healing powers of his element rather than the combative ones. Though not a healer like Rief or Amiti, his Cure spells had always been sufficient and no matter what the distractions may be such as being injured as he currently was, he could always pull them off as easily as any Quake or Growth spell. As he had done more than a hundred times during his life, Matthew drew out his Venus psynergy, directing it towards his hands and, by extension, his ribs.

His hands glowing as they tended to do, Matthew knitted his brows in concentration. Using such healing psynergy gave the Adept insight as to what, exactly, was wrong with him and he could sense what was causing him so much pain. The Chaos Chimera had indeed struck him hard enough to damage his bones but, other than two cracked ribs, there was some leftover bruising that had yet to go away. In fact, it was not as bad as he thought; the only reason he hurt right now was because of how he had accidentally aggravated them when he had awoken.

_Not a problem then,_ he thought with certainty as he fed his psynergy back into him to heal them.

But they didn't heal. To the shock of the Venus Adept, his ribs refused to heal. He felt his psynergy pour into him and envelope his ribs with its healing touch…but they didn't heal.

Was he off on the casting somehow? After his first successful cast of Cure years ago, he had never once failed to do it again during future attempts whether performing it on himself or others. Frowning, Matthew nonetheless thought that had to be the case for there was no other plausible explanation for his failure. Being more careful this time, he once again casted, his hands glowing a second time as he tried again…only to get the same results.

_Why isn't it working? Mend!_

Unfortunately such a simple mental command was far from being able to do what his psynergy couldn't. Shocked and confused, Matthew removed his hands from his torso, instead raising them to his face as he looked at them incredulously. He had not failed in the casting, he knew for certain this time, so what was going on? He still felt a bit exhausted but he should've been able to conjure up enough to at least do something.

He looked back down at himself suspiciously and it was only then that he noticed the bandages that were wrapped around his bare torso. It actually took him a few, slow moments to recognize the cloth strips that were tied around him as such. In a party that had several members capable of healing any injuries in an instant, there had hardly been any need for bandages. Sure, they had carried some around just in case but Matthew couldn't even remember the last time that they had actually used them.

Despite seeing that his injuries had been treated during his slumber, the sight only caused him to feel more troubled then comforted. Surely Rief or Amiti or someone would've thought that their psynergy could've done the job possibly ten times better then Matthew's own Cure spells and the fact that they hadn't and instead used more basic applications of first aid worried him. Maybe it wasn't just him that was incapable of healing his injuries…

"Wait." Holding a hand to the side of his head, Matthew suddenly remembered how he had gotten here. They had been walking out of the Apollo Sanctum, heading to where they had left Eoleo's ship, before they had stopped when his overprotective friends had gotten worried about his injuries. Rief had come up, saying that he could cast Ply and…

_And he said they weren't healing!_ he remembered with a start. _And…Sveta!_

The beastgirl coming to his mind and the image of her collapsing erased any thoughts of concern for himself. Being slow and careful this time, Matthew pushed himself up from the bed, turning so that he sat on the edge, his legs hanging over them. Pinpricks of pain causing him to wince, he nonetheless succeeded and his eyes looked around to allow himself to get an idea of where he was and what to do next.

Fortunately, it seemed that his friends had managed to bring him back to Eoleo's ship as his initial examinations clearly showed that he was in one of the bunks. In fact, he saw that it was his bunk that he had selected when they had first acquired the pirate ship as, with a closer look, he could see trinkets and supplies that he had collected during their quest scattered throughout. A couple psy crystals were placed atop of a desk that also sported a pair of psy grenades and gunpowder bombs – souvenirs from their skirmishes with the Tuaparang. Someone had sheathed and hung up his Sol Blade and, next to that, there was a chest where he knew he would find spare clothes and armor pieces that he had saved just in case.

He was the only one in the room and with a tilt of his head he tried to listen for anyone that may be wandering through the ship at this moment but to no avail. Though the more practical thing to do would be to rest and wait to see if someone would come to check up on him, his concern for Sveta and a need to discover if she was okay drove him to the conclusion of getting up and finding out himself.

"Not like I ever take the easy way out," Matthew spoke to no one in particular, sporting a small grin at that. Nonetheless, he revisited the thought of simply dropping back into bed when he tried to stand up only to have his ribs protest. Not just his ribs either as the vicious sunburn that he had gotten from the exposure within the Apollo Sanctum had yet to be healed as well, thus giving him some added discomfort.

Still, he managed to get to his feet and he thought of that as an accomplishment though he was hardly standing straight. One arm still curled protectively around his throbbing middle, the Venus Adept was slightly hunched over but he still considered this acceptable. Briefly he thought about retrieving a shirt to better clothe himself but he considered that a lost cause; his injuries would even make that chore too troublesome. Telling himself that all he needed to do was check on Sveta and then he could head back to bed, Matthew moved to the door where his free arm grasped the handle and pulled it open.

Stepping into the hall, he thought of where Sveta could be and opted for the obvious: in her room. If she was similarly recovering, then they probably brought her to her room as they did with him and his. Which means… Frowning, Matthew brought up his mental map of the pirate ship and tried to pinpoint the correct path. Not too far and not that close either as he would have to venture through a couple halls to get to her room. Maybe he'll bump into one of the others on his way there.

And if she wasn't in her room? With a shrug, Matthew told himself to take one step at a time and that there was an equally good bed in her room to wait for her in.

_Wait._ Matthew froze as he realized just what, exactly, he had been thinking. _That thought just went somewhere horrible._

Shaking his head to clear the mental images that came with it, Matthew focused on the task at hand. It was going to be slow going he soon found out when he resorted to having his free hand press against one of the wooden walls of the hall as he made his way forward, using it as support. His ribs still prickling with pain and every inch of his flesh feeling as if it was smoldering, he wasn't looking forward to what was clearly becoming an uncomfortable trip through the pirate ship.

How long was he out? The question popped up in his mind as he walked and Matthew was a bit disturbed at the fact that he hadn't woken up at any point during the journey from the Apollo Sanctum. Even if they hadn't had to fight through a bunch of the shadow creatures as they had to do when first traveling to the Sanctum, it had taken at least a day to reach it. And if the others had to carry both him and Sveta, thus slowing them down, then who knew how long it took.

He can't remember at any point in their journey where he had slept for more than a day. Belinsk had proven to be the most exhausting after traveling through the underground ruins, the duel between Blados and Chalis, the activation of the Luna Tower, their evacuation and later the storm that they had been forced to weather through upon Eoleo's ship. Though Matthew and the rest had practically collapsed in exhaustion upon the deck and slept there, they had been on their feet once morning hit.

Then again, what did it matter? So what happened at the Apollo Sanctum had taken more out of him then he thought. What did it matter? They had managed to stop the Grave Eclipse and save the world. Whatever it may have cost to his health was worth it in his mind.

Of course, it was only as soon as he thought that, that his vision suddenly blurred.

_Not again,_ Matthew thought as white spots suddenly danced in front of his eyes. They did not blind him, not like before, but his vision was hampered all the same.

The throbbing at his ribs now turned into a punch in the gut that dropped him to the floor. Despite how he was still using the wall for support, he fell heavier then he liked and that only caused his cracked bones to hurt more, making him gasp with pain. His head was swimming and Matthew pressed his forehead against the wall as if that would somehow make it stop. Sweat was starting to glisten on his skin and he felt it roll off his face as the sunburn now turned into an inferno that felt like it was cooking him alive.

"What's going on?" Matthew gasped aloud. In desperation he tried again with Cure, casting the spell in order to give himself some manner of relief.

It only made things worse. The heat at his skin, unbelievably, intensified as if in response to his psynergy and the golden aura that had enveloped his hand suddenly grew erratic. More than that even as, despite his blurred vision, Matthew saw that there were other colors mixed in with it. There was a brighter, more pronounced yellow that tinged the golden glow and, with a squint, Matthew thought he could see traces of…violet?

"He's been asleep for two days now and hasn't even stirred once."

Through the torment, Matthew was able to notice the voice that spoke up somewhere down the hall. He recognized it as Rief's, sounding as if it was slowly coming towards him as the Mercury Adept kept speaking.

"Nothing's working. He still isn't responding to either my or Amiti's Ply and the best we've done was bandage him up. I know you only recently recovered but we're trying everything we can think of; I already had Karis try to heal him but to no avail."

"It is not a problem."

A second voice and one that Matthew also recognized. _Sveta?_

"I owe a lot to Matthew. If there's the slightest possibility that my psynergy can heal him then I'll do everything that I can to make sure that he's okay."

"I had Himi take a look at him," Rief continued, drawing ever closer. "I'm thinking that the light of the Apollo Sanctum had done something to him and from what she says I could be correct. She said something about his aura and-"

"Matthew!"

The horrified cry let Matthew know that he had been seen. Gritting his teeth, he looked up in time to see Sveta running and stopping over him. Behind her, he could barely make out Rief who struggled to catch up, the beastgirl having left him in the dust.

"Matthew what's wrong?" Sveta asked quickly as she dropped down in front of him.

"You're okay." Matthew didn't know how he managed to speak but he did. More surprisingly, he felt a smile of relief come to his face as he looked at Sveta. Though her eyes were wide and frightened, her hair having been recently combed and brought back into her two braids. There was no evidence of the battle at the Apollo Sanctum having ever affected her.

"But you're not!" She reached out her hands towards him. "Here, let me help!"

Her hands touched his face and she vanished.

No, not vanished. It was just happening all over again as Matthew felt the numbness take hold over his body, putting a stop to the pain if only momentarily. The thoughts, the emotions, the _sensations_ came next.

He could smell the sweat that hung heavy in the air. An offensive odor, his nose wrinkled at it but his concern overrode any such minor discomforts. He was in pain and he had to help. Though not a healer like Rief, he had some healing psynergy that could help him. Concentrating, his clawed hands held his face as he concentrated-

His _clawed _hands.

Bluish gray eyes met green, both pairs widening in shock. In front of his – no, they're _hers _– green eyes, Matthew was only able to stare in disbelief as he looked at himself. Instead of lying on a ground like a corpse, however, he could see that his body still possessed a spirit within it. The spirit inside used his gray eyes to stare at him and Matthew saw the confusion and shock clearly displayed within them. Those gray eyes then looked down, examining his own body, and that was when Matthew _knew._

The spirit inside his body was Sveta's.

He couldn't help it. With a cry of shock he suddenly pushed his body back, wanting it away from him, to somehow sever this connection-

-and then he was falling backwards, landing on the floor with _thud_. The pain came rushing back and he couldn't stop the scream that issued from his lungs as his ribs exploded with pain.

"Sveta, what did you do?"

Through blurry eyes Matthew could see Rief running passed Sveta, the young Mercury Adept coming to stop next to them.

"Matthew can you hear me? Say something!"

Matthew's attention was on Sveta. One hand grasping at her chest, as if making sure that the body was in fact hers, Sveta stared down at Matthew. Blurry vision or not, he could see how wide her eyes were and instead of scooting forward to help him, she actually moved _back_ from him as if afraid to come anywhere near him.

Blackness once again engulfed both his sight and consciousness.

Xxxxx

The memories were not his.

It was the scents that clued him in. Whereas his memories were linked more with sight, these relied more on the sense of smell. So when the images of the familiar, decorated halls of the palace and the dark ruins that were hidden beneath it came to his mind, he did not 'see' them with his eyes but rather with his nose. Within the palace halls, he was able to catch the odor of the different woods that were used to construct the furniture, the polish and soap at the windows, down to the very scents of the servants themselves as they moved to complete their daily chores. Within the ruins beneath the palace, the catacombs filled his nose with its old, musty scent. Despite the near-overpowering smell, he could detect the odors of some of the monsters that dwelled within such as the tangy odor of the Viragos that patrolled for what prey could be found.

These memories were hers. Though they did not belong they were yet clustered within his mind. And like his memories they offered a slideshow of her life. But unlike his memories, he felt the foreboding presence that clung to hers; the presence of death, pain, regret, and misery that came from a life of hardships.

The welcoming scent of her mother caused warmth and happiness that woke her from her nap in time to feel her head nuzzle against her which she returned eagerly. Another sniff told her that there was another and she felt the finger that held the scent of her father tickle her nose. In response, her small hands reached out to take hold of the digit and her ears perked up when she heard his deep chuckle.

Flexing her hand, she unsheathed her claws at the urgings of her brother. Smiling in response, he unsheathed his own and held his hand up to hers so that their palms pressed against one another. His were so much longer and sharper then hers but with a pat of her head he promised that she would be as strong of a fighter as any beastman in the country.

How desperately she wished that she was that strong when they came. Despite her protests and the grip that she had on her mother's leg, her brother was able to pry her loose. At the command of their father, he took her in his arms and disappeared behind the secret exit just as the door to the throne room burst open. Though she continued to protest her brother continued onwards, down to the ruins. He did not run fast or far enough as she was still able to smell her parents…and how the scent of blood mixed with them.

Under the watchful eye of a trusted servant, she punched and kicked at the air with a fever. Already sweating, breathing heavily, she ignored it as she flipped backwards. Landing on her feet, she crouched and performed a leg sweep on an imaginary opponent before transitioning back into another flurry of punches.

Her ears twitching curiously, she poked her head just enough around the corner to spot her brother surrounded by a small crowd of about a dozen other beastmen. He was speaking passionately, waving his arms as he addressed them. After thrusting his fist into the air, the other beastmen cheered and mimicked the motion. Her eyes glancing down, she could see the weapons gathered at their feet and on their belts.

With their independence and having managed to regain the palace, she once again walked the halls that now felt so alien to her. The scents that she had once known from childhood were now tainted with the scent of the invaders that had taken her parents from her. When she ventured into what had once been the room of her parents, all she saw were that the furnishings had been replaced and the entire room converted into a chamber that held bottles of liquid that gave off the strong stench of alcohol. Sorrow and anger quelled within her heart but, with a deep breath, she forced it down as her calm façade managed to go undisturbed.

Her calm was shaken when she approached her brother. While he looked over the latest reports with a serene face and a well-trained eye, she could feel…fear. Of the future and a possible repeat if they were not strong. He gave no indication of such things but somehow she could sense it all within him.

He watched each memory of her life as they passed through him. As the years went on, as her brother continued to watch over his people, he saw the relative peace of the present and felt her underlying fear of the future. These fears came in the form of two unknown people that approached her brother one day: an armored man with a giant sword who was accompanied by a long, pink-haired woman that sported a pair of horns. Despite how she wanted nothing more than to have her brother dismiss them, he instead leaned forward while listening to a proposal, quite interested in what they had to say.

Unsure of what to do, she went to the cells where a little girl was currently being held. The guards had taken from her a bag that was hanging nearby and, determined, she took the bag and left the palace. As to where she was going with the bag she did not know. To find hope she supposed.

She found that hope in the ruins near Te Rya Village. After running and navigating through the caverns, well aware of the scent that chased her, she finally showed herself to it.

It was a boy with gray eyes and a yellow scarf. Upon looking at him she felt something special about him in an instant. She could trust him. Holding up the bag, she offered it to him as she smiled at him, sure that she found a trustworthy spirit that could help her.

Xxxxxxx

**Author's Note: **This chapter ended up getting a little crazier then I had recently intended. Actually, this whole chapter wasn't supposed to exist. I had actually planned to skip all this but then I had the idea of the whole Matthew-Sveta memory swap and momentary body-switching and the like. If it's become a little too weird for you guys I wouldn't worry too much about it; I'm pretty sure this is the one and only time I will go into such crazy stuff.

The next chapter will be a lot tamer and I expect that to be the same for the rest of this fic so hopefully you guys won't get frightened away by this moment of insanity and/or brilliance. But hey, if you enjoyed it, then good for you!


	3. Uneasy Recovery

**Author's Note: **Aaaah… A nice, busy week and a good way to end it is to get another chapter up!

**Cstan – **Yes, it is indeed fortunate that this story is rated only as K+. I intend to keep it that way for the remainder of it .

Xxxxxxx

Charging at the dark, twisted scent of the Dark Hound, she lunged at it, the powerful legs that were granted by her beastform allowing her to easily reach up to the giant's back. There her claws sank, piercing through its thick fur and flesh beneath. Her maw opening wide, she bit into its shoulder.

The dark creature howled at the attack and it immediately shook itself violently, trying to fling her off. Her response was only to bite harder, feeling the taste of its blood in her mouth while her claws ripped into its hide. Reaching back, the creature managed to size a handful of her lavender mane and pulled. Though she tried to hold on, her teeth were torn from its shoulder, pieces of flesh and wads of fur coming off with it.

Once it removed her from it's back, the Dark Hound threw her away with its monstrous strength.

Managing to twist herself in mid-air, she was able to right herself in time before impacting the ground. Sliding on her hands and feet, her claws dug into the floor of the Sanctum, slowing her momentum and bringing her to a stop. With a growl she looked back up to find the Dark Hound focusing its attention on another member of their group; a big mistake.

Her limbs propelling her forward, she once again charged at the monster, closing the distance she had been thrown across in seconds. It noticed her at the last second, its wild eyes darting towards her. With a growl it raised one of it's gigantic arms to pound her into the floor and make sure that she couldn't get back up again.

And for some unexplainable reason it hesitated for the briefest of seconds. That was enough for her as she lunged at it. Her shoulder held in front of her, she plowed into its stomach, doubling it over where her fist was ready for a follow-up attack that saw it slamming beneath its chin. Reeling from the blows, the Dark Hound stumbled back, looking particularly dazed. And then, like a falling tree, it collapsed onto its back.

Standing over the defeated monster, she took a slow, calming breath. Her muscles and claws shrunk, her mane of fur vanished, and soon she found herself back in her human form, her now much smaller shoulders heaving as she took deep, ragged breaths. Using one of her sleeves to wipe at the blood on her face, she looked to see how the others were faring against the Tuaparang agents, taking careful sniffs at the air to locate them.

And with a gasp she turned to look at the blood on her sleeve, her ears standing up straight in surprise. She held the sleeve to her nose and sniffed. There was the twisted odor of the monster that she recognized immediately but it was masking another scent that she could barely detect. She took another whiff.

No…

Her heart freezing within her chest, she turned her head slowly, ever so slowly, to the Dark Hound that had yet to get back up. It was still alive and even conscious as it's open eyes told her. Eyes that had such a familiar brown coloring and that now looked at her not with bloodlust but with something completely different.

"It can't be," she breathed.

There came a weak moan from the creature and that had almost caused her to break down right then and there. She kept her composure though…for a little while. Long enough so that her legs, now feeling like jelly, managed to get her to stumble over to the creature's side.

She took one more slow, careful sniff.

There was that term that humans liked to use that came to her mind. Seeing was believing as they said. But for beastmen it was not sight that they relied so heavily on. Instead it was their sense of smell and when she took that one, final sniff, she _believed_.

"No." Her ears flattening, she placed her hands against the sides of her head which she shook violently, as if trying to deny this reality. "No, no, no! This isn't you! This _can't_ be you. You died…you…"

While the tears welled up in her eyes she found that her legs could no longer support her. Dropping down, she allowed herself to stare at the Dark Hound before her eyes squeezed shut and she once again shook her head. "You died at Belinsk! You aren't…you didn't…become…this!"

A heavy weight fell on her shoulder, nearly toppling her over, and Sveta opened her eyes to see the large, black paw that encased not only her shoulder but nearly her entire arm. That sight finally brought out the tears as she felt them stream down her face. Gently, her hands took the paw and raised it to her face so that she could nuzzle her head against it, her face pressing into its palm as she cried.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed as she became deaf to everything else in the Apollo Sanctum. "I'm so sorry!"

Xxxxxxxx

"How are you feeling?"

That was far from the first time that Rief had asked him that in the last two hours since he had awoken and Matthew replied with the same answer: "Better."

"Want to try standing?"

Beneath the blankets, Matthew slowly moved his arms and legs, flexing his muscles to see if he truly was better. Well, it didn't feel like his flesh was on fire so that's a start. Placing his hands against the mattress, Matthew carefully eased himself into a sitting position. He felt someone place a hand at his back, ready to support him, and the Venus Adept turned to give the owner a smile.

"Thanks Tyrell, but I think I got this."

"Just being careful," Tyrell replied, though he did remove his hand from behind Matthew. He still stayed close to his side either way. "That's what you said last time remember?"

Giving Tyrell a nod, Matthew focused back on the current task. Having managed to sit himself up without any sign of weakness, Matthew felt a bit of hope; even this act had been a bit of a chore the last time he had tried. Swinging his legs around so that they hung over the edge, the son of Isaac gently placed his feet on the wooden floor and started putting weight on them.

_Not bad,_ Matthew thought as, again, he felt no weakness. Feeling confident, he pushed himself off the bed.

That confidence nearly proved to be overconfidence. Matthew felt his legs buckle and he had been about to fall if it wasn't for his watchful friend. Tyrell reached out and awkwardly grasped Matthew by his arm and the front of his shirt, saving him from what would've been an embarrassing fall.

"I got you," Tyrell assured as he helped Matthew sit back down on the bed. "Give me a warning next time, huh?"

"Yeah, sure." Matthew turned to give him a grin and saw that there was a similar one on his best friend's face. "I'm fine though, really. I think I just need a moment for my legs to adjust."

"Very possible." To one side of the small room, Matthew saw Rief nodding in agreement. "You've been out for quite some time now."

"How long has it been?"

"A week."

"What?"

Rief flinched at his shout but was already calmly explaining with, "It was bad. Other then the fight with the Chimera which had tired all of us out, there was your insane climbs to the switch to the Apollo Lens."

"But I just fell! A couple of falls shouldn't have put me out for that long."

"It wasn't just the falls..."

"It was the Sanctum itself."

The small voice that spoke out caused Matthew to turn, realizing that there was another occupant in the room with them. Only now coming around Tyrell – possibly why Matthew hadn't noticed her earlier – was Himi. The daughter of Susa and Kushinada who apparently had a run-in with the Warriors of Vale in the past, the group had picked her up sometime after Belnisk in Yamata to complete their eight Adept party. Other then being the smallest, she was one of the youngest members of their group.

But her abilities were large and wide when it came to psynergy. Like Matthew, Himi was a Venus Adept that could control the earth. However, while she could unleash patches of thorny Briars, her massive storage of psynergy allowed her to possess more extravagant abilities such as summoning monsters to fight. During the battle with the Tuaparang, the diminutive Adept had summoned a dragon out through a portal that had sent Chalis briefly running. Though not as powerful as their djinn summons, the creatures that Himi can conjure were no laughing matter either.

Supposedly her abilities extended to prophecy or other, similar abilities as well and when she had pointed out entrances that Matthew swore he hadn't seen a moment ago during their quest, he was slowly becoming a believer of that.

"The light of the Sanctum had done something to you on a different level," Himi continued, her red eyes seeming to try to pierce through him as they always did. "Your aura had become erratic…uncontrollable. Being exposed to such purity of the Sanctum's light had caused a lot of damage both without and within you."

"How much damage?"

Himi paused at that, her eyes closing briefly. "Your death was one possible outcome that I foresaw."

Matthew started at that and he brought out his hands to look at them. Not possessing any gloves, his hands were bare and the Adept tried to find any damage whether on his flesh or "aura" but saw none. His hands had all their fingers with healthy skin covering them. After closing them into fists a couple of times, Matthew looked warily to Rief.

"The physical damage had been taken care of," Rief assured. Then he started to look troubled. "Though there were…complications."

Matthew started to feel worried. "Complications?"

"Whatever it was that you were exposed to," cut in Tyrell. "It wasn't just affecting your 'aura' or whatever it was that Himi said."

The tiny Venus Adept tossed him a narrow-eyed look.

"Whatever was in that light, it stopped Rief from healing you."

Brief flashes of his memories came to Matthew, specifically that outside of the Apollo Sanctum where Rief first mentioned not being able to use his Ply and within the ship itself when he had tried to heal himself to no affect. He also remembered the pain and how the golden glow around his hand upon using Cure had been violently fluctuating, yellow and violet tainting the purity of his Venus psynergy.

Matthew looked back up at Rief. "You couldn't heal me?"

"Not at first!" Rief quickly spoke but the troubled look hadn't left the Mercury Adept's face. In fact, he looked puzzled and seemed to be trying to figure it out himself at this exact moment as he related the events. "But it's true; during the first couple of days my healing abilities seemed to have little to no affect. I asked Amiti to try and he got the same results, then Karis and Sveta…"

_Sveta?_

"How was she?" Matthew asked, cutting off Rief for the moment. "Sveta, I mean."

A deep concern had settled within him at the thought of the Jupiter Adept and again he thought back to the Apollo Sanctum and the ship. At the former he remembered her collapsing just like he did and, at the latter, how she looked at him with distress and even…fear.

"She was out for a day and even after that she needed some extra rest. Other then that though she was completely fine; she was wearing the Umbra Gear after all which you didn't have. Anyway, I asked her to see what she could do and, surprisingly , you had responded to her attempts."

"Only her?"

Rief shrugged but still had that puzzled look. "I didn't even question it. I was just happy that something was working on you. She stayed at your side for another two days to do what she could and after that you started responding to my Ply, thankfully, so she left."

A flash of disappointment struck Matthew though he wasn't sure why. "Where is she now?"

"Around the ship I'm sure, whether in her bunk or someplace else."

"She's been acting kind of weird."

Her concern for Sveta spiking at that, Matthew immediately address Tyrell. "What do you mean?"

Tyrell raised a hand to his chin as he sought to remember. "Well after the two days, she never came near you at all. I mean, once Rief said that you weren't in the danger zone anymore, which was when he was able to heal you again, everyone had relaxed. Still, we all came to at least check to see if your recovery was still going well. She hasn't come anywhere near your room though. Actually, now that I think about it, she doesn't seem to be as social with the rest of us either."

"Is she all right?" A frown had etched onto Matthew's face, puzzled as Tyrell seemed to be about Sveta's behavior. Was she actively avoiding him?

Again that face, framed by lavender hair, twisted in a look of fear as she looked down at him.

"Quite frankly," Rief cut back in, "I don't think she is." At the worried look from Matthew, the Mercury Adept held up a hand before he could be bombarded with questions. "Physically she's fine. I mean I don't think she's fine mentally. Have you forgotten what happened? Her brother is dead."

Shamefully, with all that has happened, Matthew had forgotten. Now it all came back to him, of how the Apollo Lens had been activated at the cost of Volecheck's life, all to save her sister, and Matthew's head hung low. "That's right, he is isn't he?"

"He sacrificed his life to save his people. That's the other thing; Volecheck was king. And Sveta being his sister…"

Matthew felt a jolt go through him at the realization. Having been fighting at Sveta's side for so long, seeing her as nothing more then a friend and ally on their quest, he had forgotten about that one little detail concerning her heritage. "That would put her on the throne of Belinsk. She won't be coming back as a princess but as a queen."

"If Belinsk has indeed been saved," Rief added but otherwise nodded. "She's probably going through a lot right now so it shouldn't be surprising if she's acting a little weird."

It was a fair point but Matthew was still unsettled. Having been absently swinging and stretching out his legs during the entire exchange, Matthew brought them to a halt before placing his feet on the wooden floor. When he pushed himself up to his feet this time he didn't fall though Tyrell had jumped when he made the attempt.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Rief questioned again.

In response, Matthew swung his arms around and did a couple of squats, trying to locate any problems. When he stood back up he nodded to the healer to show that he had found nothing wrong. Matthew then looked to Himi with a quirked brow.

She shook her head to his unspoken question. "I sense no abnormalities in his aura."

"Sounds like I'm good for a walk," Matthew spoke with a grin.

Xxxxxxxx

His walk ended up taking him through the entire ship. Walking along the halls, Matthew ended up encountering the rest of his friends, all inquiring as to how he was feeling, and he replied that he was fine and that it was good to be back. Eoleo had offered the teen a drink to his health and Matthew accepted…and then later declined after the first sip, his face twisting in disgust at the abnormally high concentration of alcohol that was in the drink.

"Can handle monsters and world-ending eclipses but not your liquor I see," Eoleo commented as he took a large gulp, Matthew coughing in a corner.

Karis he had stopped by her room to see that she was reading a book. Off to the side, surrounded by her seven djinn, was a small chest that had a chain wrapped around it and a large lock. The key was hanging from a necklace around the Jupiter Adept's neck.

"The feather of the Mountain Roc," Karis had explained when he looked towards the chest quizzically. "I'm not letting Tyrell get anywhere near this thing so that he doesn't somehow manage to fry it." She glanced towards her protective circle of djinn. "Isn't that right guys?"

"He won't get anywhere near this, mistress!" Gust confirmed, tilting his head crest to her in affirmative.

Matthew couldn't help but smile though he knew that Karis's fears were well-founded, especially since they had killed the Mountain Roc. Who knew how they would manage to get another feather if they ended up losing this one with the titanic bird dead. Truth be told though, despite how important the feather was to them and it being the only reason they had started on this quest in the first place, Matthew had nearly forgotten about it ever since their trip to Belinsk.

But hey, facing the end of the world can make you forget things like that.

When Matthew stumbled upon Amiti, he found the Mercury Adept looking particularly worn with a piece of parchment in his hand.

"You okay, Amiti?" Matthew asked.

The prince of Ayuthay chuckled lightly. "This coming from the man who had been out for a week." He motioned at the parchment. "I've been sending messages to Ayuthay and I only just got this. Everyone is well thanks to the underground shelters managing to protect them from the monsters. King Wo's army hadn't been so fortunate and, in fact, had been decimated."

"It's good to hear that your people are safe."

"Yes…my people."

A far-off look came over Amiti's face and Matthew inwardly winced. That's right, it wasn't just one of their party that was going back home as a new ruler. Last they saw of Paithos, Amiti's uncle had been stricken with an illness that had left him bed-ridden and it being highly unlikely that he would be recovering. As the king of Ayuthay, Paithos had chosen Amiti to assume the throne upon his death which he promised he would stave off until his nephew's return.

Amiti's situation only reminded Matthew of Sveta. Unfortunately, despite however many halls he traveled, he wasn't able to locate her whether it be her room, the mess, or anywhere. Thinking that she may be outside, Matthew climbed a set of stairs that would lead him up to the deck of the ship.

And that was where he found her. At the bow of the ship – as he believed the correct term was as he was still trying to get used to the naval lingo -, stood Sveta. Her back currently turned to him, she was currently leaning against a rail where her arms were folded atop of it and her chin resting on top of them. She was not wearing the Umbra Gear that Matthew had remembered last seeing her in but back in her traditional, traveling clothes. Her hair, having once been a dirty mess of tangles, had been brushed and smoothed out before having been braided. A light gust of wind blew across the deck and the two braids waved in the air behind her.

Having been ready to approach her, a greeting upon his lips, Matthew suddenly stopped, wondering if he should bother her. As Rief had said, there was probably a lot going through her mind right now and she may have even come out here with the express purpose of wanting space. He thought about going back down below deck but he didn't do that either. Instead he found himself standing right where he was, watching the mid-air dance of her lavender braids.

She must've detected him somehow though. Whether she had noticed his scent or heard his approach, he saw her ears raise to attention before she turned to face him, a smile coming to her face upon seeing him. "Matthew!"

All previous concerns that he had settled when he saw her smiling face. At ease with approaching her now, he crossed the distance between them to join her at the front of the ship. "It's good to see you Sveta."

As he drew closer, Sveta took a step towards him. He saw her arms briefly raise from her sides, as if to embrace him, but just as quickly as the motion started, it ended. Her smile wavered but she managed to keep it on her face. "I'm glad to see that you're all right."

Pretending not to have noticed, Matthew met her smile with his own. "I'm glad to see that you're all right as well. Rief told me that you had been out for a while."

"Not as long as you." She looked him over. "How are you feeling? Is everything truly healed?"

Matthew nodded. "Yep. No more sunburn or broken ribs or anything else like that. I actually heard that you had a hand in that."

Again her smile wavered and then disappeared entirely. Turning away from him, she directed her gaze back out into the sea. "Yes…well…you're welcome."

Now it was Matthew's smile that vanished as he stared at her. Her ears having lowered, Sveta had resumed her previous position with her arms and chin resting upon the rail. She had turned her head to the side, away from Matthew, and the Venus Adept noticed an uneasy shift at her feet.

"Sveta…I…" Matthew started, unsure of what to say. "About what happened between us…"

"I'm sure its nothing," Sveta spoke up. "You were exposed to the light of the Apollo Sanctum. We both were. But Rief and Himi already told me that you were back to normal so I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. It was just something that you had to recover from, right?"

The fact that she had been unwilling to go near him when he approached made Matthew think that she was still worried about it. Curious, he stepped closer to Sveta so that he can rest his arms on the railing just as she did. Their arms nearly touched and he noticed how she glanced at them before making an oh-so-subtle shift to add an inch of space between them.

Though he wanted to press the issue, he held himself back. Looking plenty uncomfortable about what had happened already, he thought that trying to force the subject would only make it worse. Instead, he focused on a different subject. "I'm sorry about your brother."

It was only after he spoke that he scolded himself. Oh sure, that was exactly the kind of topic that she would want to address instead.

"He lived for our people," Sveta spoke and he noticed how she pressed her head further against her folded arms. "He had always kept them in mind when he ruled and, though it was a mistake, his deal with the Tuaparang had been for their safety. To die for them was something that I believe he would've been content with."

"And for you," Matthew added.

Sveta didn't respond.

"Any word on Belinsk?" Matthew tried again.

This, at least, seemed to cheer her up as Sveta looked to him, her previous smile returning if only at a smaller size. "Yes, we actually had gotten word from Amiti's uncle. Belinsk is well on its way to recovery, my people having returned to their homes. There will still need to be a bit of work in order for us to recover what we lost but…"

"I'm sure that you will do fine, Sveta."

"It has been a week and the idea hasn't gotten any easier for me. When I return to Belinsk I will have to take the throne that my brother had left vacant. All my life I had never thought that such a time would come as I had fully expected Volechek to live and rule for years to come. If he was ever going to relinquish the throne I would only have thought that he would've done so after having raised a suitable heir of the next generation."

"Sometimes things don't go as planned." If there was any lesson that Matthew had learned during their quest, it was certainly that.

"Apparently not," Sveta sighed.

Matthew couldn't help it. Despite how she seemed so uncertain about it, he wanted to try and comfort her with more then words. One hand removing itself from the fold, Matthew extended it towards her to take her arm and give it a comforting squeeze.

The stress and loneliness nearly overwhelmed him. Though always seeming so calm, this simple touch allowed Matthew to peer into the abyss of despair that dwelled within her heart.

_How could she possibly do this? That was the thought that reverberated over and over again within her mind. Volecheck had always been the one for the throne, the one that had first led their people to independence and brought them prosperity after the dark times. Though kind, he was also strong and she could only wonder how he was able to handle the duties that would constantly be found at his desk._

_He would not be there for her. No one would be there for her. What she would have to do in order to help her people to recover, she would have to do it alone. Her family was gone, her friends wouldn't be able to help her, and the man she had come to trust the most now scared her because-_

Sveta jerked her arm out of Matthew's grip, severing the connection. She did not hide her uneasiness this time as she took a full step away from him, putting a couple of feet of distance between them. Matthew hardly noticed, the Venus Adept staring at his own hand in astonishment.

What had happened to them? It had to be a lingering side effect of their souls having come together with the Apollo Sanctum having affected it further. Her memories, her thoughts, they all became his with just a simple touch just like now. Was it permanent?

"I'm sorry!" Matthew finally apologized, looking at Sveta who was watching him. "I didn't know there was still some kind of link between us! You said so yourself that Rief and Himi said I was fine and that it's probably passed!"

"It's okay." Though she said that she didn't dare move any closer to him. "We were just mistaken. Maybe it'll take a bit longer for it to pass. Let's just try to keep our distance from each other."

The idea bred some distress but Matthew shook it off. It wasn't the end of the world as he could still talk to her; it was just touching her that they were going to try and avoid. It was not a problem as Matthew was sure that he could handle that until it passed.

He was still shaken. It was only during the activation of the Grave Eclipse and after the fight with her transformed sibling at the Apollo Sanctum that he had ever seen Sveta's composure collapse as it did. But what he had seen, what he had _felt_, was something completely different. An abyss rife with emotion was still the best way he could describe what he had seen. Though, outwardly, Sveta seemed to be taking her upcoming responsibilities as the Queen of Morgal with some apprehension, it was within her that he could see the depths of how those responsibilities were putting so much stress on her.

All alone. Her brother, her only remaining family, had died and Matthew knew that he could not stay with her. As she already knew, it was more then likely that they were all going to part ways soon. Amiti was to take the crown at Ayuthay, Himi would probably return to her parents, Eoleo had responsibilities in Champa that needed to be addressed, and he, Tyrell, and Karis had to return in order to deliver the feather to their parents so that they could fix the soarwing.

They all had family and friends waiting for them back at their respective homes. But Sveta…

"I don't want to leave you alone, Sveta," he couldn't help but blurt out.

Sveta's eyes widened a bit at that, surprised, but she soon shook her head. "Its okay Matthew, really. I'm not my brother but I will do all I can to help my people. Do not worry about me."

"But I want to help you. Even if its just to give you a friend to talk to." An idea suddenly came to mind. "Actually, do beastmen use carrier pigeons?"

"Pigeons?" Sveta's brow having rose in confusion, it now furrowed in thought. "I…think so. I mean Morgal usually kept to itself and if my brother had any business to go to he could travel on foot but I believe Volechek had a use for them once in a while. I think he actually used one to contact Blados and Chalis during their deals."

"Perfect!" Smiling wide, Matthew explained, "My dad keeps some at home to send messages out to friends and family. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I used one. Maybe we could write to each other once in a while? A way we can keep in touch?"

Sveta thought it over but the upward curve at the corners of her mouth told him that she liked the idea. "Yes, I think we can do that. Thank you Matthew, I think that would be nice."

"It's a deal then." Matthew held out a hand for her to shake.

She only stared at it. After a couple of seconds, Matthew got the hint and let it drop back to his side.

Xxxxxxxxx

When Matthew dropped down below deck, feeling proud with himself, he was surprised to see that someone was waiting for him. "Himi? What are you doing here?"

The young Adept only stared at him at first and Matthew immediately felt uncomfortable. She had that look on her face, the one that he had only seen a couple times during their journey. But whenever he was on the receiving end of it, it wasn't her eyes that Matthew felt that she was staring at him with. Instead, his gaze shifted to the mark that had been placed at her forehead. It was the mark that she had received when the power of an artifact known as the Third Eye had been absorbed into her person when they had first met.

"You two are bound," Himi spoke suddenly.

Matthew blinked. "What?"

"What had meant to be temporary has become permanent."

"Permanent..." Matthew's eyes widened. "You mean when I touch her? That isn't temporary? Is there a way I can fix it?"

Himi shook her head. "There is nothing to be fixed for there is nothing wrong."

He stared at her, brought into silence by her words and unsure of what he should say next. "But how…what…"

"There will be a door." Himi's eyes were closed halfway, giving her a sleepy appearance, but Matthew thought he could see the mark of the Third Eye glow at her forehead. "Do not open it. Do not cross through it. Doing so will make her lost to you forever. Do _not_ cross."

"Himi, I don't understand!"

But she didn't explain. Turning her back to him, the diminutive Adept just walked away, leaving him behind in bafflement as he watched her go.

Xxxxxxxx

**Author's Note:** I always thought there was a lot of potential when it came to some of the characters in Dark Dawn and Himi was the prime candidate. Unfortunately, Camelot didn't exactly give you much to work with when it came to her. You went to Yamata, went through the whole thing with the Third Eye and a visit to some graves…and that's it. Instead of so much a character, Himi was reduced to a tool that allowed you to see hidden doors that the game gave you at the last minute before you went off to the Apollo Sanctum.

I hope to give Himi some spotlight for this story but we'll see how that goes. Kind of disappointed with myself as I felt Matthew and Sveta's interaction was a bit brief but I wanted to hurry and get this chapter up. I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future though to work with the two so don't you worry about that! For now, hope you all enjoyed this and I hope you're all still interested and can't wait for the next chapter!


	4. Letters and Encyclopedias

**Author's Note: **Okay, yes, I know…it's been a while. Not my fault! Well…it kind of is but…*coughs* But I did good and added some extra length to this chapter to make up for it! I hope that will help get people to forgive me!

Speaking of people…

**Jelloh and Specter Von Baren: **I'm not abandoning it! Or trying not to anyway! But look! Chapter! Ya chapter!

**Barefootbean: **Right now the rating is K+ and I do intend to keep it that way…for now. Maybe. If there ends up being some more intimate moments (and it's a romance fic, why wouldn't there be?), we'll see how willing I'll be to push the boundaries when it comes to showing affection. As for the lack of dialogue and personalities, I hope to get that fixed in later chapters but I believe there's plenty of dialogue here in this chapter for you.

**jollygreendragon: **As you know, I didn't know about the nifty new things that added while I was away. This includes replacing chapters with an edited version like you showed me, lol. Back then you had to completely delete the chapter and add in a fresh one if you wanted to fix your edits if I remember correctly. Having this sitting on my computer, I've had more time to review and edit my work so try to find something wrong! I dare ya! *waves fist* .

**Cstan: **Like I said, I tend to give at least a little bit of spotlight to Himi. Not this chapter as she doesn't appear in it but in the later ones when she does appear I hope to work more on Himi's personality and perhaps her value to the group. I already have one member selected that I think could work well with Himi but that's all I'm saying.

Alright, so here's what you've all been waiting for! New chapter!

Xxxxxxx

"Come on, Matthew! Only ten more!"

A low growl being the only response that he could muster, Matthew forced himself to bend his knees to squat down. If it wasn't for the fact that he was balancing a quite large and heavy log at his shoulders, this would've been easy. Couple that with the sets he had already done as well as the previous exercises that had drenched his body and clothes with sweat that was currently stinging his eyes, Matthew was willing to do anything that wasn't ten more squats.

"Ten more! Ten more!"

Ah yes, he had forgotten about them. Standing on top of the log that burdened him so were seven Venus djinn that danced, hopped, and cheered with a constant reminder of how much work he needed to yet force from his body. When he managed to raise himself back up, the chant changed with the ten being replaced with a nine.

"I can count!" Matthew managed to gasp out.

Something tapped against the top of his head; the tail of one of his djinn no doubt. The exact culprit made himself known when Matthew heard Flint's command of, "Less talk, more squats!"

"Less talk, more squats!" the rest of the djinn repeated.

The thought of sending the log and thus the chanting djinn hurtling to the ground gave Matthew the motivation that he needed. His legs burned, the muscles within them wanting to quit and give out on him, but he forced them to lower and raise into another squat and then another, the numbers ticking down within the Venu Adept's head until, with a roar, he dropped the log from his shoulders.

With disappointment he saw that, apparently having expected his retaliation, the little critters had already hopped from the log and managed to reach safety on the ground. He couldn't dwell on it for long, however, as the commanding voice from before made itself known again.

"Defend!"

Instinct took over and Matthew reached out a hand to grab the hilt of the wooden training sword that had been stuck in the ground next to him. He barely managed to turn and bring the sword up in time to intercept the blow of another training sword that had been coming down towards his head.

With a nod of approval, Isaac swung again.

As tired as he was, Matthew nonetheless brought his blade to the side to block this second strike. Unfortunately, the very force of the blow caused his legs to wobble and forced Matthew to take a stumbling step to the side to compensate. Isaac showed his son no mercy as he moved in, pulling his sword back and then stabbing it forward. Again Matthew managed to parry but his legs still shook, making it impossible for him to stand his ground as he stumbled a second time.

Halfway through his squats, the young Adept had known that he wouldn't be able to hold his own for long as soon as he picked up his wooden sword. Being beaten back as he was now was clear evidence of the fact.

_Well let's try something different then._ With what strength he had left, Matthew forced his legs to give him power to reverse his direction as he now lunged forward, his sword held high.

For a brief moment he had the satisfaction to see the brows of his father raise in surprise at the sudden switch to offense. But after that moment, Isaac's own years of honed reflexes had him quickly sidestepping away from the attack. Matthew's blade sliced at the space of air where he just was and, his legs failing him, the younger Adept found himself overstepping, leaving his back to his father. A sudden, loud _thwack_ and the pain that blossomed at his back told him that Isaac did not miss the opening. That was all that was needed to bring Matthew falling facedown into the ground.

"Ow," came his muffled voice.

"You sure you didn't hit him a bit too hard there, Isaac?"

Sitting a few meters from Isaac and Matthew was another father and son team that had been taking part in the training exercises with them. And, like Matthew, Tyrell showed similar marks of a rough sparring session such as a bruise at his left arm which he still nursed.

"I'm sure he didn't feel a thing, Garet," Isaac replied. Looking down at Matthew, the elder Adept sported an amused look before nudging Matthew's side with his boot. "Isn't that right, son?"

Tiredly, Matthew waved a hand. He had yet to remove his face from the ground so his words were still muffled when he spoke, "Give me Blados; I'll take him instead. Actually, throw in Chalis while you're at it. At least I know I can take them on."

"Yeah but you had us to help you last time," Tyrell pointed out.

"Don't care." Matthew rolled on the ground, removing his face from the dirt and grass. Once he managed to roll onto his back he looked up at his father. "They're not as bad as you."

That got a laugh out of Garet and Isaac even chuckled at the joke. Planting his training sword into the ground, the man knelt over Matthew. "You've gotten a lot stronger since then Matthew. I'm sure that a couple Proxians that I used to know would get a run for their money from you."

A light blush burned at Matthew's face from the compliment. Lauded for their accomplishments, he had always been inspired to reach a status that his parents were held up to. Just the thought of perhaps being as good as his father had been during his youth – well, continued youth really – made Matthew smile wide, his pride swelling with the praise.

His smile was probably what coaxed Isaac to add, "But that's no reason to start taking it easy. Who knows when your next Grave Eclipse or a couple of big, bad agents of the Tuaparang will appear. You must always be ready for the next threat that may arise."

He extended a hand. "But I am proud of you."

Though Matthew had nodded his head at the lecture, there was still a smile on his face when he reached out and took his father's hand. When Isaac pulled him up to his feet, he was quickly reminded of the training that he had just finished. Other then the bruise at his back as well as a dozen other sores, Matthew's legs shook and he had to wait a couple of moments before he was able to steady them.

"Wish we could use Cure," Matthew muttered while he placed a hand on his back where he got hit.

"You can only let psynergy do so much," Isaac lectured and retrieved Matthew's sword. "Sometimes the best way to get stronger is to let the body recover unaided." He held out the wooden weapon to him.

"Yeah, yeah." Matthew took the sword and sheathed it in the scabbard at his back where he usually carried the Sol Blade. He winced when that only aggravated the bruise there. "I'll still be feeling that in the morning though."

"Cheer up!" Isaac patted him on the shoulder and led him towards Tyrell and Garet. "You'll be seeing your mother in two weeks, after all! We have to work hard before we allow ourselves to relax at Kalay."

The reminder did cheer him up and Matthew smiled at the thought of seeing her again. It was only two times during this last year that Jenna had come to visit her husband and son. The first had been right after the Grave Eclipse to check to make sure that the two most important people in the world to her were alive and well. The second had been a standard, family visit that Jenna had managed to take between some business that she had been hard-pressed with. Other than being in the sphere of influence of the Grave Eclipse, Kalay had been a center for refugees that had fled and sought shelter in the city. Jenna had been busy helping with both the recovery and the care of the refugees along with Ivan who had moved back with Karis to assist her.

In a couple weeks there would be an anniversary and a celebration. Not just for the end of the Grave Eclipse but, more importantly, the start of the Golden Sun event. It will be exactly thirty-one years since the lightning of the four Elemental Lighthouses and Kalay has hosted a festival each year for it. Though not all of the people of Weyard praised Isaac and the other Warriors of Vale for starting the Golden Sun event, Kalay had been a staunch supporter from the beginning due to its fortune. Ever since Master Hammet had helped build the town, it had seen nothing but continued growth from not only trade but through the efforts of many of refugees from Vale that has led it to become a country of its own.

"Come on, let's head home," Isaac spoke which brought Matthew out of his thoughts. "I think we've done enough training for the day."

Matthew replied with a nod and a look of relief as he and Isaac walked over to Garet and Tyrell who were standing to leave.

"So are you proud of me too, dad?" came Tyrell, a grin on his face.

Garet ruffled his son's hair. "Of course, boy!"

"Think I could've taken on Saturos and Menardi?"

That caused Garet to pause. Putting a hand to his chin, the elder Mars Adept thought about it. "Well…maybe?"

Tyrell immediately frowned. "Oh come on!"

Matthew laughed at that, his spirits high as the group made their way back to the Lookout Cabin atop Goma Plateau. With training now over, the only talk there was between them was of plans for their trip to Kalay. Ivan and Karis, having been on a business trip concerning the relations between Kalay and Ayuthay, were supposed to stop by later today to spend a couple of nights. Matthew and the others would go into Kalay with them and that's where the talks degenerated into previous games and foods that had been in last year's festival.

"We need to make sure the others are invited," Tyrell suddenly put in. "I know Karis probably invited Amiti while she was at Ayuthay but we have to make sure that Himi, Rief, and the others got invitations!"

"Actually," Isaac started, "didn't you mention that you were expecting a letter from Sveta, Matthew?"

And just like that, whatever exhaustion he had been feeling suddenly vanished as Matthew took off across the bridge that led back to their cabin.

Xxxxxxxx

Hawke was a relatively ironic name considering it was for a pigeon but that was what made Matthew decide to pick it when he chose the bird to carry his messages to Sveta. Opening the small pigeon coop that was located in his father's study, Matthew was happy to see that Hawke, who had a violet ribbon around its neck to differentiate it from the others, was currently waiting for him with a letter attached to his leg.

"Thanks, buddy." A small handful of seeds in his hand, Matthew placed it in front of the pigeon who immediately walked over to feed. Matthew untied the letter from its leg while it ate before leaving Isaac's study and heading to his room.

As Sveta had agreed when they had made the arrangement on the deck of Eoleo's ship, they had been exchanging letters with the use of carrier pigeons over the last year since they had separated at Belinsk despite the awkwardness that had come between them. As Himi had predicted, the strange connection – Matthew had no other word for it – that had been established since the Apollo Sanctum had not relented as, with the barest of touch, Matthew was still able to look into her thoughts and vice versa on the day that they had parted.

She had not liked it one bit. Though her Spirit Sense allowed her to see into the hearts and minds of others, apparently Sveta did not like the idea of him being able to look into hers. He did not know the exact reasons for it but Matthew had respected her wishes for privacy – if there was even the possibility that something like that could still exist between them - and had never brought up the issue. And when he had returned home and sent out the first letter to Sveta, he had honestly been troubled by the possibility that she would not respond. Fortunately, he was pleasantly surprised when Hawke flew through the window of the cabin one day, the first of many of her letters tied to his leg.

The first of their letters had been uneasy to say the least. Tentatively, Matthew had dared to ask how her first days as Morgal's queen had been for her while adding that he was hoping all for the best. Her reply had been short, saying that there were many things that had to be done and that she was constantly busy to the point where she was unsure if she would be able to continue with their letters. Though distressed at that, Matthew had assured her that he understood and that he would understand if she could not keep in touch.

For a while it seemed as if she had done just that when he did not receive a letter back for some time. However, his fears had been put to rest when the pigeon had been waiting for him after he and his father had returned from Patcher's Place during one of their trips to buy supplies.

Things took off afterwards. With each letter Sveta sent it was not only an update of the recovery of Belinsk but inquiries of how he was. Though Matthew did not possess the monumental task of rebuilding a capital and running a country, he had responded in kind with news of Tyrell and Karis, how his training was progressing, how the rebuilding of the soarwing was going, things like that. Their letters having once been short paragraphs, they were now pages of enthusiastic conversations that they may as well be having face-to-face.

And he couldn't wait to read the latest one. Closing the door to his room, Matthew took a seat at his desk, placing the letter on top of it. Then, as if he was handling a precious treasure, the Adept carefully unfolded the letter, smoothing out the creases as he laid it down in front of him. He took note that the letter was not a particularly long one, being contained just to one page, but nonetheless he eagerly read the contents.

_Dear Matthew,_

_ I can't believe it has been a year already. It feels like only yesterday that I had taken the throne but I am happy to say that things have taken a turn for the better since then. Though I cannot erase the past for my people, I have done my best to make things better for them. Our food shortages have long since ended, sufficient housing has been provided for returning refugees, our military has recovered, and now trade relations are currently being established with towns such as Ayuthay._

_ By the time you receive this letter, the memorial that I had established for my brother should be completed by now and I have decreed a time of mourning and remembrance for not only Volechek but all those who had suffered during the Grave Eclipse. We cannot forget about what has not only been won, but what has been lost and that we should learn from our mistakes. I hope that one day that I will be able to do what my brother could not and, perhaps, establish friendlier terms with Bilibin and even Sana in order to finally bring my people true peace._

_ On the subject of remembrance, I also realize that it has been a year since we had first met. I had not been able to say this before but with all that's happening I want you to know that I appreciate our friendship. Your letters have helped me during my stressful beginnings as queen and it is your kind words that have allowed me to face each day and each duty that comes to my desk. For that I cannot possibly thank you enough._

_ Please tell Tyrell and Karis that I think of them often as well and I hope that all three of you have been enjoying this undisturbed peace with your friends and family. Without you, this day may never have come._

With a warm heart Matthew read these words, a smile coming to his face. So many things have occurred during this past year, this was true, and Matthew was glad to see how Sveta's words spoke of all that they had accomplished. More importantly, he was happy to hear how Sveta seemed to fully accept her duties to the throne and to her people. He remembered her doubts and fears that he had glimpsed when he had last looked into her mind but he was glad to see that everything seems to have gone well for her.

And it looked like now may be the perfect time to ask Sveta to come to Kalay. Matthew had always been hesitant to offer such an invitation, especially as she had never offered such for him to come to Belinsk, but it had been a year and with this being a time to celebrate more happy occasions, he was not as concerned as he would usually be about making such an offer. He just hoped that her duties as queen would allow her time off.

Hoping for the best, Matthew pulled out a sheet of paper and quill and got to work.

Xxxxxx

"Matthew?"

There was no answer to the call that Isaac voiced when he stepped through the door. A quick look told him that his son was nowhere to be seen in the living room and another look in his study showed that Matthew had already retrieved whatever letter had been delivered by the pigeon who was even now pecking at a small mound of seeds.

"Matthew?" Isaac called again, now moving back into the living room. Still no answer and that was when his blue eyes looked to the stairs. His son was probably in his room right now, reading and then responding to the letter that had been delivered.

Just as he was about to move to the stairs and give Matthew another call, Isaac stopped when he saw movement at the corner of his eye. Over at the couch he noticed a golden-brown tail that poked out from beneath it, wagging in the air as the creature it was attached to seemed to be struggling with something. His son temporarily forgotten with this odd scene, Isaac focused on the couch. The shape and color of the tail was all too familiar to the elder Venus Adept as belonging to one of his djinn.

"Flint?"

Out of all of his djinn, Flint was the most outgoing. Though djinn like to get out and explore and not be set to their masters every once in a while, Flint had become increasingly comfortable to the outside world to the point where he would only be set when it was necessary; specifically for training purposes and battles. When Flint had first joined Isaac when he had left Vale so many years ago, he had been one of the rare djinn that had willingly joined without a fight. In fact, Flint had been ecstatic about the idea of traveling and upon their first meeting it seemed as if he had been waiting for Isaac and Garet in order to help them.

Flint had become much more than a tool for battle over the years. He was a companion, a friend, and even a teacher. When it had been Matthew and Tyrell's turn to follow in their fathers' footsteps and go on their own quest - well, really an errand that had ended up becoming a quest of its own -, Flint had all but insisted that he join to watch over and assist them.

"One second!" the diminutive creature replied, his struggles having yet to cease.

"You stuck?" Isaac questioned, a humored grin coming to his face as he stepped over to him.

"I'm fine! Just give me a second; I have something to show you!"

Isaac raised a brow at that. Crouching down, he waited patiently. This close he could see that Flint was pulling and tugging at…something that was apparently underneath the couch.

"Need a hand?"

"I got this! Just one…more…_pull_!"

At the last the word the djinn nearly toppled on his back as he removed himself from underneath the couch, clutching at an item that had to be what he had wanted to show. At first Isaac thought it was just a book but upon closer inspection he saw it for what it was: an encyclopedia. When he picked it up and held it in front of his eyes, he confirmed his suspicions that it was the same one that Matthew had taken and compiled during his quest.

"I've already read this before Flint," Isaac replied as he opened the encyclopedia, skimming through some of the pages. Matthew had once been a very quiet child in the past but he had enjoyed the printed word much more then the verbal one, always reading and writing when he wasn't training. Sometimes Isaac wondered if his son tended to wield a pen more than his sword.

The quest for the Mountain Roc feather that led to the Grave Eclipse had changed Matthew, making him more outspoken. Isaac remembered being just the same; having friends look to you for leadership tended to change you. But Matthew's use of the pen hadn't changed and he had written about, well, everything that he had encountered during his quest; people, places, objects, whatever. When he had returned with a book full of the wonders that he had seen, Isaac had spent a couple days reading through them to see some of the changes and discoveries that had occurred throughout the world years after the Golden Sun event.

"I know you have!" Flint spoke up. Hopping onto Isaac's shoulder, the djinni gestured with his head to keep turning the pages. "But there's been some additions that had been added to a certain article…"

Isaac found those changes as soon as Flint finished. Halfway through skimming the encyclopedia, Isaac stopped when a mess of papers that had been stuck within the pages were revealed to him. Those had certainly not been there before and, curious, Isaac selected the first one he could see and read at the top:

_Dear Matthew,_

_ The Grave Eclipse has been devastating. I'm still trying to get a list of reliable numbers but the initial counts are most distressing. You were there when it happened, you know how bad it was, but you don't know just how bad. My first week as queen and I've become nearly overwhelmed with reports of casualties, destroyed properties, missing persons, low supplies and so much more. I honestly don't know where to start, what I'm even supposed to do! This wasn't even supposed to happen!_

_ If Volechek was here he would know what to do. But he's gone and the least I can do is make sure our people can recover if such a thing is possible with all that they had suffered through. I'm actually glad when I stumbled across your letter amidst the reports. It gave me something to take my mind off everything that's going wrong, even for a moment._

_ But even now I can't help but write about my people's troubles. And I'm also worried about you even if you said that the Psynergy Vortex had vanished over at your home. Though the Grave Eclipse is over, I'm worried about the lasting damage that may've occurred. More importantly, I'm worried if I will be able to fix them. I do not believe I am qualified to rule in such times but I will nonetheless do my best._

_ I hope that you write back. I do miss all of you and would like to hear about how you all are doing._

Isaac recognized the name of the writer: Sveta. She had been the princess of Morgal that his son had traveled with and, as Matthew had explained, was now queen of Morgal due to the death of her brother. Hearing about the Grave Eclipse and what it had done to the beastmen, especially to their king, had disheartened Isaac. He and the rest of the Warriors of Vale had visited Belinsk once when Ivan had required a Mountain Roc feather that would be used to create the soarwing. That was before Sana had invaded and the king – Sveta's father – had even helped them in obtaining the Mountain Roc feather.

It was sad to see at what had befallen the beastmen and, more importantly, the Czamarai clan. The letter certainly didn't help matters. Flipping through more of the letters, Isaac selected one that was dated a few months after the first.

_Dear Matthew,_

_ My favorite color is blue._

Isaac's brows rose in surprise at that. Considering how distressed the first letter seemed, he wasn't expecting this. He kept reading.

_I would think that's obvious, being a Jupiter Adept and all with the sky being colored blue but that is my favorite color._

_ As you requested, I wrote down a couple of exercises that you could perform before you have to train with your father. He sounds like a very strict teacher when he wants to be like my old hand-to-hand combat instructors but these should help. I'm glad to hear that you managed to spend time with your mother and it's very good to hear about how well the situation is going at Kalay with the refugees. Even today we still have once-thought missing or dead beastmen coming home and it's just lovely to see families reunited…_

Isaac read through this letter and several more before stopping after reading half a dozen of them. From what he could see, there were no letters from some of Matthew's other faraway friends like Amiti or Himi: just Sveta. And a lot of letters at that with at least three per month from what Isaac could see. As he read through some of them, he found the same patterns: information about the recovery of Morgal but then there was other information like favorite colors, foods, and so on.

A sudden nudge at his cheek caused Isaac to glance at his shoulder at where Flint still sat, having used his tail to poke at the Adept. At his quizzical expression the djinni said, "The article!"

Removing the letters from the encyclopedia, he saw that they had been placed with the same page that Matthew had donated to Sveta. He blinked at what he saw. Flint had been right; Matthew had added quite a bit concerning his article about Sveta such as princess being crossed out and being replaced with queen. At the corners of the page he could see footnotes that his son must've added overtime. Upon seeing that one of these notes read "Favorite color is blue", Isaac finally understood.

He looked back at Flint who seemed as if he was smiling despite not possessing a mouth.

"They grow up so fast," Flint spoke and brushed underneath his eye with the tip of his tail as if wiping away a tear.

Chuckling, Isaac took a seat at the couch, intent on reading more about this girl that had captured his son's attention so.

Xxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note:** Okay, not gonna lie; I had about 70% of this chapter done when I kind of left it in its little space on my hard drive before I finally pulled it out to finish it so that I could post it today. The reason for that is…well…I'm gonna take the easy way out and say Dragon Age 2, Crysis 2, and Homefront. Been doing a lot of video gaming lately and I've actually started playing the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta yesterday. Knowing that soon that will be taking up a bunch of my attention while I get the exclusive content (Thrashball Cole!), I decided to finish and post this chapter before I got too caught up in that.

Anyway, no I'm not going to abandon this. Or at least that's not my intention anyway even though my updating time may get sketchy…such as now . I think it's because of how the fic is, specifically its center on romance and nothing really much else. I had the same thing happen to another fic I've had where I kind of just flail about at times and it even becomes a chore with what I should pull out with the romance.

Which is why I'm actually tempted about starting another fic that has a bit more adventuring and stuff. Fic ideas were another thing that was going on during my absence and I've recently started thinking about an idea I really, really liked. Specifically, this would be about Amiti. Some faces of the past have come to haunt Amiti and in order to defeat them he'll have to come to learn and accept his heritage. It's an idea that I'm really interested in as it'll deal with an issue in Golden Sun that has never really been brought up before but one that I've always at least mentioned somewhere in my previous fics. And for those who are wondering, yes there will be some Amiti/Karis to go along with it.

I do actually have a chapter written down for it and ready to go, I'm just wondering if I should take the risk of doing two fics. On the one hand that does mean more work to do but Tangled Spirits actually doesn't have that many chapters to go: three, maybe four with what I'm planning. And, like I said, the romance-centricness of Tangled Spirits is good and all but I think I need something else to work on to distract me and give me something else to do. Your opinions could certainly help with that decision.

Anyway, for now, I hope you enjoy and that you all haven't abandoned me during this time of absence, lol.


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